Language Investigation Number Two

In schools, you are measured by what grade level you are at, and what scores you get on standardized tests. As a student, I have always been far ahead of my grade level in terms of reading and writing. I read Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre in second grade, and while I am certain that I didn’t understand the full meaning at the time, I was still able to read the book. I was typically in the 90th percentile or higher in terms of my writing and reading scores on standardized tests. I think that much of the reason why I did well in reading and writing is because I expected myself to do well. I was defined early on as a “good” reader and writer, and so I expected that I would understand reading and writing. We often live up to the expectations that are set for us, and since high expectations were set by my parents and my teachers, I did well. I believe that most students could have been as good at reading and writing as I was, if the same expectations were set for them.
Much of the reading and writing that I was asked to do in schools was in the vein of analysis and critical thinking. I was in programs such as Core Knowledge, International Baccalaureate, and Advanced Placement, all of which challenged students. In all content areas students were expected not simply to summarize what they had read, but to be able to think about information and apply it to their own lives.
In English classes, for instance, students were expected to critique texts rather than read them for plot. Typically I was expected to read a novel or poem, and then write a critical essay about the text. My teachers helped students to look at simile, metaphor, point of view, narrative style, etc., to discover what these details said about the text as a whole. Before asking their students to write an essay, my teachers would always say “Remember to analyze, not just summarize the text!” This style of analyzing texts was very useful. It is easy to forget the details of a plot, but analysis and thinking critically are skills that you can use for the rest of your life, no matter the subject matter. Even if you don’t necessarily enjoy reading, you can still learn a lot from English classes that emphasize thinking rather than memorizing.
In science and math I was taught formulas and rules as a necessity, but again, my teachers emphasized analysis over memorization. Often my teachers let students use note cards or formula sheets during tests, because they considered application of the formulas more important than memorizing the formulas themselves. Some students were very good with memorization, but it was not key to doing well in classes. My teachers understood that some students were literate with math and science, and understood the formulas and language of those content areas, but they tried not to punish students for lacking the language necessary.
Learning about the education that many people received had made me feel very fortunate to have gotten the education that I did. The expectation at every school that I have attended was that every student would do well in school. What I feel is important from my education is not specific assignments that I was given, but rather the general way that I was taught. Students were expected to achieve highly, and so most of us did. Teachers emphasized to students that their ideas were important, and did not just talk at their students. I learned to analyze whatever I was taught, think about it deeply, and consider how the information that I learned would apply to my own life. Language itself is a way to manifest our inner thoughts, and so if we can think well, it can help us to speak, read, and write well. The expectation at my schools was not that we would use certain words necessarily, but that we would use words in certain ways to show that we were learning.
It is easy to forget facts. I don’t remember many dates in history, or the names of all of the authors that I read. What I do remember is how to think, and that is what I believe we should teach all of our students. I have never felt daunted by college, or the assignments that I have been asked to do in college. I believe that college has come naturally to me because I came to college with an understanding of not only how to read and write well, but how to think well.